Ziprasidone hydrochloride (5-[2-[4-(1,2-benzisothiazol-3-yl)-1-piperazinyl]ethyl]-6-chloro-1,3-dihydro-2H-indol-2-one hydrochloride), I is a potent neuroleptic agent useful in the treatment of psychotic disorders, schizophrenia, and anxiety diseases. It is currently marketed under the proprietary name of Geodon.

Ziprasidone hydrochloride is known to exist in three crystalline forms; namely, the monohydrate, hemihydrate and anhydrous form as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,831,031 and 5,312,925, both of which are herein incorporated by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,925 states that ziprasidone hydrochloride monohydrate is substantially hygroscopically stable, thus alleviating potential problems due to weight changes of the active pharmaceutical ingredient during the final formulation process. Nevertheless a very low aqueous solubility is observed for this crystalline form.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,031 discloses that arylpiperazinyl-ethyl (or butyl)-heterocyclic compounds II may be prepared by reacting piperazines of the formula III with compounds of the formula IV as follows:

The '031 patent indicates that this coupling reaction is generally conducted in a polar solvent, such as a lower alcohol, dimethylformamide or methyl isobutyl ketone, and in the presence of a weak base and that, preferably, the reaction is in the further presence of a catalytic amount of sodium iodide, and a neutralizing agent for hydrochloride such as sodium carbonate. At example 16, the '031 patent discloses a process in which a solution of ziprasidone free base is taken up in dichloromethane and then reacted with ether saturated with HCl to afford a precipitate which is subsequently filtered, slurried with acetone and filtered again to give ziprasidone hydrochoride hemihydrate.
Additionally, the methods described in the prior art for the preparation of some of these crystalline forms, for instance ziprasidone hydrochloride anhydrate provide inconsistent reproducibility. For example, ziprasidone hydrochloride anhydrate has been prepared by prolonged drying in air at 50° C. of the corresponding monohydrate form, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,925. However, repeated attempts to prepare the anhydrous form of ziprasidone hydrochloride in our laboratory by using the above mentioned conditions failed to produce the expected anhydrate and instead ziprasidone hydrochloride having variable contents of water, including that corresponding to the hemihydrate form, were obtained. Furthermore, even when more drastic conditions were used, (i.e., higher temperatures, longer drying times, under vacuum) anhydrous product was still not obtained.
It is therefore very desirable to have a process for preparing ziprasidone hydrochloride anhydrate which overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved process for preparing ziprasidone hydrochloride anhydrate in high yields and purity which is more reliable, consistent and suitable for large scale manufacturing. Further and other aspects of the invention will be realized by those skilled in the art from the following Summary of the Invention and Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention.